Adim Malek '12

"I used to have no hope for education, but now I know no matter how long it takes, I will get it."

While Elms College is home to many non-traditional students, few fit the description as well as Adim Malek, 33. Born in Southern Sudan, Adim found his way to Elms College while speaking about the plight of the Sudanese people following years of internal conflict. Living in the United States as a refugee, he had dreamt of pursuing a college education. A chance visit during PeaceJam in 2007 gave him a glimpse of the place where he would get it.

Today, he passes through the Dooley Center lobby and greets another student with "Habari" - a Swahili greeting. Co-president of the international club, he seems to know everyone on campus and is clearly at home at Elms. He seems to have come far from his days as a refugee in an Ethiopian camp.

After PeaceJam, he approached Joyce Hampton, director of international programs about attending the college, and applied formally with her help. "I think I made the best choice with coming to Elms. If I had been at a bigger school, I don't know where I would have gotten the help." Adim noted that continuing to pay for his education has been challenging, but that each semester the financial aid office has worked with him to get him through the academic year.

Soft-spoken but self-assured, Adim is in his third year of studying marketing, and his third month of American citizenship. With an American passport, Adim will be able to travel back to Southern Sudan for the first time in years to see his family, and to set foot on the newly independent nation following its official split from Sudan.

"Sudan has been suffering. We have not gotten anything out of unity," he said. "We need separation to live peacefully, and I hope this will help people see a different way of maintaining peace."

At the end of May this year, Adim will travel to the United Nations with Laura Fusini, another Elms student, to observe diplomats at work and ask questions that could help him prepare for running the foundation he wishes to create.

The Greater Aweil Development and Reconstruction Agency is named for the state of Aweil-one of 10 that make up Southern Sudan. It would provide facilities for playing sports, engaging in community activities, and schooling. His hope is to improve conditions for the most basic of people's needs, so they can focus on education, building skills, and giving them the resources to solve their problems.

"When I was there, I didn't have anyone I could ask for help. Now I can answer to others and say ‘let's see what we can do.'"